kuster



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

O. vA. KUSTER.

MBOHANIGAL MUSICAL INSTRUMBNT.

W m zi. w

m 6 w J w, Ma N (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

O. A. KUSTER.

MEGHANIGAL MUSICAL INSTRUMBNT.

No. 361,300. Patented Apr. 19, 1887.-

UNITED STATES CHARLES A. KUSTER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESE PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE PIANOPHONE COMPANY.

MEC'HAN-ICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,300, dated g-ril 19, 1887.

Application filed June 9, 1886. Serial No. 204,571. (No model.)

To all whom it maly concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLEs A. KUsrnR, of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear and 'exact description, reference being had to the accompanying draivings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention has relation to that class of mechanical devices employed for striking the keys of an ordinary piano or organ or other suchmusical instrument having keys arranged in the usual way and primarily intended tobe touched by the fingers of the player, and also for pressing the pedals or moving other accessories of the instrument through the medium of air-currents, which are governed or regulated in their flow by mechanical appliances.

The objects of my invention are to simplify and improve the construction and arrangement of various parts of the instrument, so as to insure the requisite duration, rapidity, and inteusity of the stroke or touch; to perfectly regulate the tone or pitch; to simplify the means employed for regulating the height of the instrument, so as to make it easily and quickly adjustable in position to operate upon any piano or other instrument; to operate the valves by a roller or drum having pins or projections thereon, and to operate the pump and roller or drum by the same mechanical appliance. To accomplish these objects my im` provements involve certain new and useful arrangements or combinations of parts, peculia-rities of construction, and principles of operation, as will be herein first fully described, and then pointed 'out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figurc 1 is a cross-section and partial elevation of an instrument constructed and arranged for operation in accordance with my invention and embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section and partial elevation of the same upon a scale about half that of Fig. l. Fig. 8 is a top or plan view, the cover being removed. Fig. 4 is a plan view on a scale cnlarged beyond that of previous figures, showing the means for Operating the improved slide which gov- V erns the exit of air from the pneumatics and regulates the inteusity of the stroke.

In all the figures like letters of reference, wherever they occur, indicate corresponding parts.

The main bellows or pump is reprcsented at A A, being of the class known as double-actingll-that is, it has two movable lids, which are connected one with the other by any suitable means, as by brace a, in such manner that Go when one lid is up the other will be down, causing a continuous and uniform exhaustion of air when the pump is moved. The pump is located above the main air trunk or chamber B B, and is operated by an arm, O, connected with crauk c of shaft D, which shaft also operates the toothed barrel, as will be explaincd hereinafter.

E is a crank or handle applied to shaft D, and this stands in place of any form of motor which may be used for the purpose of driving the shaft.

F is a reservoir in the form of abellows, the same being supplied with a spring, as Z) b, for keeping the reservoir normally distended. 7 5 Upon exhaustion of air from the reservoir it closes more or less against the action of the spring, according to the degree of exhaustion. The reservoir thus made operates to regulate the exhaustion throughout all parts of the in- So strument with which itis connected. The pump communicates with the reservoir through channels G G, separated from B B.

H represents one of the white keys ofa piano or organ, and I one of the black keys. These .85 keys are strnck or depressed by strikers K K, Operating upon hinged bars or levers, as K', there being a striker for each key. The strikers are moved by small bellows, one for each, as at L L, these being usually called pneumatics.77 The movable tops of these are connected with their respective strikers and depressed as soon as air is exhausted from them. In connection with each of these pneumatics there is a valve arrangement, (represented at M M,) governing ports leading from the reservoir to the pneumatics. These Valves are unseated when air is admitted to their under sides through small tubes, as N N.

Each ofthe tubes N N is supplied with a Ico valve, as d, the latter being arranged to be opened when the arm connected therewith is depressed by one of the pins or stops upon the The pump and barrel being barrel or roller.

moved, air will be exhausted from any pnenmatie when the corresponding pin on the barrel raises valve d, and thus the proper key will be struck and the desired note sounded.

O represents one of the pedals of the piano or organ. This is depressed by a pneumatic, as P, when air is exhausted therefrom. A valve arrangement, as Q, is located in a conduit, R, leading from chamber B down to P. The Valve is unseated as soon as air is admitted through tube N the upper month of which is supplied with a valve operated by pins on the barrel or cylinder. A pnenmatic is supplied for each pedal, and thus the tone is rcgulated automatically by the cylinder.

The intensity of the stroke upon the keys or the touch depends upon the rapidity with which air may be exhausted from the pneumaties L L. To govern the degree of rapidity of exhaustion, I employ perforated slides, as c, Fig. 4, extending through the pnenmatics LL, (one for each set of pheumaties corresponding with the bla ek keys and white keys,) and these slides cover the openings leading from the pnenmatics, the perforations in the slides corresponding or registering with the openings leading out of the pnenmatics when the slides are moved to a proper position. Vhen the slides are moved in the direetion of their lengths, the air-openings are eontracted,as will be readily understood.

The slides are moved against the action of suitable springs, asf, by any one of three bellows or pnenmatics. (Represented at S S S.) These are connected with valve arrangements, as at T', Fig. 2, to which tubesg` lead from the position of the barrel or cylinder.

Pius upon the barrel or cylinder open valves at the months of tubes g, and the pnenmatics S are automatically operated the same as the other pnenmatics. The pnenmatics S are supplied with ad j ustable stops or regulators, as h h h,setso that one bellows may move a certain distance, another another distance, and so on. Th e extent of movement of the slide e (and thns the intensity of stroke) depends upon which of the pnenmatics S is operated, and this is eon trolled by the position ot' the pins or stops upon the cylinder. Thus by moving the cylinder and pump together the volume or tone, intensity of touch, and all the expressions are produced the same as by employing the fingers. a

The perforated slides of the pnenmatics can be employed in machines wherein the ordinary perforated paper is used to operate the valves. The arms lc, which connect the strikers K Wit-h the tops of pnenmatics L, are slotted, as at 7M, Fig. 4, so that they may be adjusted laterally, in order to bring` the strikers to lproper place over the keys of the piano or organ. Provision for this adjustment enables me to make the improved device applieable in conneetion with various styles of pianos or organs the keys upon which vary in width iu different styles.

T is the barrel or cylinder, provided with pins or stops to open the valvcs at the months of the air-tubes. Pius may be set for one or more tunes, as may be desired. The barrel T is turned by shaft D, through the medium of cone-pulleys, as Z Z, one of said pulleys having a gear meshinginto a worm upon shaft D, the two pulleys being connected by a belt, as 2/, and the axis of the barrel being secured to one pulley, substantially asindicated in Fig. 8. By moving the belt along the rapidity of lnotion communieated to the barrel may bc regulated at pleasure.

To raise or lower the improved instrument, so that it may be adjusted to any piano or organ, I mount the easters m m in a verticallyadjustable block or strip, as n, (one on each side.) This block has inclined faees, as at 0 o. The instrument rcsts upon horizoutally adjustable strips, as p, also having inclined faces to correspond with those at o o. The stri ps p are moved by bolts, as q, which extend out to the front of the instrument, where they are within convenient reach. By turning` boltsl Q the instrument will bc raised or lowered, as will be readily understood.

The improvcd device, when construeted and arranged for operation substantially as above set forth, is simple in all its parts, not liable to get out of order, and well calculated io answer the purposes or objects of the invention as previously stated.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desirc to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination, with the pnenmatics for operating the strikers, of the slides arranged to govern the flow of air Vfrom the pnenmatics, substantially as shown and deseribed.

2. In combination with the perforatcd slides, the pnenmatics or bellows for Operating the same, said pnenmatics being` provided with adjustable stops, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the sirikers, ofthe slotted adjustable arms mounted upon the pnenmatics, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a mechanicalmusical instrument, the combination, with the revolving,` barrel or cylinder, of the cone-pullcys, the shifting belt, and the worm-shaft and gear, substantially as shown and deseribed.

5. In a mechanicalmusical instrument provided with strikers arranged to operate the keys of a piano or organ, the slidiug` strips having inclined faces, the vertically-adjustable strip carrying the casters, and the adjnstingbolt, combined and arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hercunto set my hand in the prescnce of two witnesses.

OILULES A. KUSTER.

Witnesses;

JOHN BUokLinz, TORTH OsoooD.

lOO 

